462.39 POWERS AND DUTIES.
    Subdivision 1. General powers. The commission shall have and exercise all powers which
may be necessary or convenient to enable it to perform and carry out the duties and responsibilities
of sections 462.381 to 462.398 or which may hereafter be imposed upon it by law. Such powers
include the specific powers enumerated in this section. The commission is an instrumentality of
the state for purposes of section 297A.70, subdivisions 1, 2, and 3.
    Subd. 2. Regional programs. The commission is authorized to receive public and private
funds for purposes including, but not limited to program administration, multicounty planning,
coordination, and development.
    Subd. 3. Planning. The commission may prepare and submit for adoption, after appropriate
study and such public hearings as may be necessary, comprehensive plans for local units
of government, individually or collectively, within the region. Plans may consist of policy
statements, goals, standards, programs, and maps prescribing guides for orderly development
within the jurisdiction subject to the plan. The plans shall recognize and incorporate planning
principles which encompass physical, social, or economic needs of the region. In preparing
development plans the commission shall use to the maximum extent feasible the resources
studies and data available from other planning agencies within the region, including counties,
municipalities, special districts, and subregional planning agencies, and it shall utilize the
resources of state agencies to the same purpose.
    Subd. 4. Comprehensive planning. The creation of a regional development commission
does not affect the right of counties or municipalities to conduct subregional or district planning
under sections 462.371 to 462.375 or 471.59. It is the purpose of sections 462.381 to 462.398 to
encourage local and subdistrict planning capability and the regional commission shall as far as
practical use the data, resources, and input of the local planning agencies.
    Subd. 5. Local planning assistance. A regional development commission or, in regions
not served by regional development commissions, a regional organization selected by the
commissioner of employment and economic development, may develop a program to support
planning on behalf of local units of government. The local planning must be related to issues of
regional or statewide significance and may include, but is not limited to, the following:
    (1) local planning and development assistance, which may include local zoning ordinances
and land use plans;
    (2) community or economic development plans, which may include workforce development
plans, housing development plans and market analysis, JOBZ administration, grant writing
assistance, and grant administration;
    (3) environment and natural resources plans, which may include solid waste management
plans, wastewater management plans, and renewable energy development plans;
    (4) rural community health services; and
    (5) development of geographical information systems to serve regional needs, including
hardware and software purchases and related labor costs.
    Each regional development commission or organization shall submit to the commissioner of
employment and economic development an annual work program that outlines the work items for
the upcoming year and establishes the relationship of the work items to development issues of
regional or statewide significance. The entity completing the annual work program and identifying
the statewide development issues shall consider input from the Departments of Employment
and Economic Development, Natural Resources, Transportation, Agriculture, Commerce, and
other state agencies as appropriate to the issues.
History: 1969 c 1122 s 10; 1973 c 589 s 1; 1978 c 786 s 18; 1981 c 356 s 229,230; 1983
c 289 s 115 subd 1; 1Sp1986 c 3 art 1 s 57; 1997 c 231 art 12 s 12,13; 2000 c 418 art 1 s 44;
2007 c 135 art 2 s 32